I. PURPOSE
To facilitate the scheduling and delivery of examinations in year one and two of the M.D. Program.
II. POLICY
It is the policy of New York Medical College School of Medicine (“NYMC SOM”) that parameters be defined regarding the creation of the examination schedule to ensure the delivery of an organized curricular program with appropriate assessment tools.
III. SCOPE
This policy applies to students, faculty, staff, and administrators who contribute to the M.D. Program curriculum in year one and two of the NYMC SOM.
IV. PROCEDURES
A. Examinations are used throughout the M.D. Program as assessments of a student’s knowledge and/or skills as related to curriculum objectives. Exams may be delivered as written (e.g., multiple choice, essay), oral, as a practical/objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), or any combination thereof.
B. Examination types:
1. Written examinations can be delivered using multiple choice questions, short answer fill-in type questions, or short essays.
a. Written exams should reflect objectives of concurrent courses and include a combination of recall and application questions, as appropriate.
b. The majority of exam questions should be written using vignette/ NBME-style.
c. Written examinations using short essay questions can reflect objectives from a single course or shared objectives among concurrent courses for a single essay.
2. Oral examinations should use individual objectives of the course material converted into specific questions.
3. Practical examinations should assess student performance of objective skills presented during a course.
C. Examination delivery:
1. All written examinations, whether interim or final/ summative, will be delivered using electronic exam software.
2. Course directors are encouraged to use electronic exam software or the SOM Learning Management System for quizzes.
3. All interim block examinations will be delivered as unified examinations on the same day, with questions mixed between concurrent courses. Where appropriate, course directors should create examinations with integrated questions.
4. Final examinations can be developed “in-house,” or utilize NBME subject OR NBME customized exams, at the discretion of the course directors for each block.
D. Examination duration:
1. Exam schedules should be created with attention to "universal design in education" principles:
a. For any student, total examination time in a single day should not exceed eight (8) hours.
b. Examination durations for students taking a standard timed exam:
i. Examinations delivered in a single part will be no longer than four (4) consecutive hours.
ii. If total exam duration exceeds four (4) hours in a single day for students taking a standard timed exam, course directors will convert the business day following the examination to an open, non-curricular day without scheduled activities.
2. For written examinations using multiple choice questions: The maximum number of questions per examination in M1 is 40 questions per hour (NBME standard) in M2 it is 50 questions per hour.
3. For written examinations using short essays: Reasonable time of at least 30 minutes should be provided per each essay question.
4. For oral examinations: Typically, 30 minutes per student will be allotted. Of this time, 10-15 minutes should be devoted to the proctored preparation and 15-20 minutes to the colloquium with the student.
E. Examination feedback:
1. During a final examination block, student grades will not be released until the last examination of the testing block is completed.
2. For examinations using multiple choice and/or short answer questions: All students will be provided with Strengths and Opportunities score reports after major in-house examinations to provide feedback to students about their individual performance on the examination.
3. Post-Examination reviews of interim exams should be arranged as soon as possible after the exam in a format that protects the integrity of the exam questions. Large group post-examination reviews of final examinations are not typically provided; in this case students are welcome to review their examinations directly with the course director by appointment.
4. For written examination using short essays: The students will be provided a narrative feedback on their performance.
5. For oral examinations: The students will be provided immediate oral feedback and a brief written feedback at a later time.
6. For practical examinations: The students will be provided with oral and/or written feedback and a grade (where relevant) as soon as possible, but no later than in ten (10) business days after the exam.
7. For NBME examinations, the students will be provided with the raw scores, mean and SD of the class on the exam when these scores are released; typically, this is within a week of the examination.
F. Examination intervals, timing, and specifications:
1. Interim examinations should cover manageable increments of the course material.
2. Practical examinations should be given, whenever possible, on the same day as the interim examinations.
3. All major written examinations should be preceded by a free day for study, reflection, and integration of course material.
a. No new material can be introduced on the day preceding the examination.
b. Course faculty should be accessible to students during designated reflection and integration days prior to an examination.
G. Students Requiring Examination Accommodation related to the American Disabilities Act (ADA)
1. Students who require examination accommodations should review the Policy on Students with Disabilities and Application for Accommodations and identify themselves as an individual with a disability and submit the appropriate documentation to the Director of University Academic Support Programs.
2. The Director of University Academic Support will evaluate the student’s documentation and provide the student with a written accommodations plan if the student is found to qualify for accommodations.
V. DEFINITIONS
A. Student: a person enrolled in an educational program of NYMC SOM
B. Staff: NYMC SOM personnel
C. Faculty: Formal designation for a person involved in teaching, supervising, and assessing students enrolled in a NYMC SOM educational program, whether M.D., Ph.D., nurse, allied health professional, resident, fellow, or other.
D. Learning management system: a web-based system for curriculum management in the year one and year two medical education program.
E. Universal Design principles: a research-based set of principles that together form a practical framework for using technology to maximize learning opportunities for every student.” Universal design in educational settings (UDE) acknowledges that students learn in various ways and focuses on intentional accessibility from the outset of curricular and course design. UDE seeks to meet diverse student needs by ensuring curricula include multiple means of representation, expression and action, and engagement. UDE concepts are focused on intentional and anticipatory accessibility, while accommodations are prescriptive, specifically tailored to support the needs of each individual.
F. Examination: an assessment of student knowledge and/or skills.
G. Major written examination: interim in-house examination, final examination, or National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) examination of any type.
H. Interim examinations: examinations given during a course/not including the final comprehensive examination.
I. Unified/Combined Exams: Examination that assesses objectives across disciplines within a given block provided in a single exam day.
J. Integrated Exams: Examination where questions combine or coordinate the assessment of objectives from the different disciplines taught within a given block.
VI. EFFECTIVE DATE
This policy is effective immediately.
VII. POLICY MANAGEMENT
Executive Stakeholder: Dean, School of Medicine
Oversight Office: Office of Undergraduate Medical Education
